Vegan Mofo Day 15 - OMG, Barack Obama is coming over because he knows you make awesome vegan food! What are you going to make?
So, this is a difficult one. At first I thought about serving this. Because he's the President and caviar seems like the sort of thing a President would eat.
Yep, that is VEGAN caviar and pretty delicious it is too!
Then I wondered whether I should serve him something typically British like To-fish and Chips (with a side of mushy peas of course). But then I started to wonder that if he ended up in my little corner of Derbyshire he might be feeling a bit home sick and wondered what sort of American food he liked. A quick Google search came up with Chowder. On Labour Day this year the President visited the Union Oyster House in Boston and ordered not one but ten chowders! Honest, read about it here.
Luckily Carol Vorderman - Accidental Vegan Hero and my unofficial Mofo theme comes up trumps with this Sweetcorn and Butterbean Chowder from Carol Vorderman's Detox Recipes.
I have to say, this was one of the last soup recipes I tried from this book only making it recently after I'd had the book for 9 years. Well, that was a mistake as I discovered that I love it! I think it was something about putting soya milk in soup that put me off but as long as you use an unsweetened kind you're onto a winner.
I'd not eaten chowder for 25 years! I spent a year as a student on an exchange programme to a college in Upsate New York (SUNY Plattsburgh) and I probably ate my bodyweight during that time in clam chowder from the college dinning hall. But then I returned to England and there was no chowder to be found (this was the Eighties remember) and I kind of forgot all about it. But now thanks to Carol, chowder is back on the menu. This was a quick 20 minute job with no blending required and consists of onion, garlic, potatoes, stock, soya milk, black pepper and a tin of sweetcorn and a tin of butterbeans. It's one of those dishes that tastes much more than the sum of its parts. It really is great comfort food. Included on the same page is a recipe for cornbread to accompany. This calls for 2 eggs though so isn't vegan although it does also use soya yoghurt. It should be possible to use egg replacer or there are plenty of great vegan cornbread recipes around. However for the President I've decided our bowl of chowder should be accompanied by some toasted soughdough and smashed avocado.
Vegan caviar! Love it! I'm not posting today as have been a bit busy - the best I could think of was something broccoli...barackoli obama, haha...oh dear
ReplyDeleteBarackoli, haha, I like your thinking! I'm intruiged to see what people will come up with today!
DeleteYes spot on with the British Tofu-Fish and Chips, though I also do love the decadent touch with Vegan Caviar. I make my own laverbread caviar at home which is vegan, but had not heard of this brand. Do you mind telling me where you got yours, as I would love to try some. I am still dithering about this prompt, not sure what to serve Mr Obama,,,maybe I should give him some Welsh grub.
ReplyDeleteI got sent this from the company that makes it in Denmark as a review sample but you can buy it from Amazon and also the Planet V website. I'm not sure if they still sell it as I've not seen it the last few times but Ikea have sold a black vegan caviar in the past. Your laver bread one sounds intruiging. I love Laverbread.
DeleteHere's the link to Planet V
Deletehttp://www.planet-v.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=caviar
Thank you so much, I will check it out and give you a nudge when I post my vegan caviar recipes.
DeleteJust noted that they do Balsamic Caviar, I've made that one too, quite recently too. Promise to share
DeleteOoh I love chowder! I was the same as you - put off making it as I wasn't sure about that much milk in soup - but I use almond milk and it turns out just great. Serving it with avocado toast is a good idea!
ReplyDeleteI also skipped today because if Obama came to visit I think I would just give him a gift card to a restaurant or something...or bake him cookies...I don't do entertaining!
I'll have to try it with almond milk. I did think about taking him to our local pub, The Globe as all the food is vegan.
DeleteThe chowder looks so beautiful and creamy! I have wanted to make a vegan chowder for years, but for some reason I am scared I will fail. But now I kind of feel like I need to give it a go! Smashed avocado toast makes life amazing!
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, I had chowder for my lunch today! It was a recipe from Veganomicon, but I really recommend the Glam Chowder from Isa Does It if you fancy trying another recipe. It's probably the best soup I've ever made!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have both those books so will check them out.
DeleteChowder gets double points for being so warm and comforting in the autumnal weather - lucky Barack! I've tried the black vegan caviar before but not the red - is it very different?
ReplyDeleteIt had a different flavour. Reminded me a bit of fresh tomato. The beads are bigger and pop nicely in the mouth. I really liked it.
DeleteTen chowders...jeepers! It must be one of his favorite things, so great choice! I'm sure he'd love it, or at least, I'm sure I would, especially with the sourdough!
ReplyDeleteMmm this chowder sounds great and I didn't know vegan caviar existed, so weird! But I can see it being made by the Danes, it's like a food group for them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, apparently the Dane who discovered it was showing his kid a science experiment using seaweed and realised the results looked like caviar and that how the idea was born!
DeleteChowder is good. I think Obama would be very happy with this.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing my research didn't turn up. You guys are so good at this researching thing! I love chowder, too - but I can take it in red form, white form or clear form. We are chowder addicts over here (the clamless kind, not the corn.)
ReplyDeleteYou put a lot of thought into what to serve him. Nice!
Yummy that chowder looks great. I have not tried vegan caviar, it does scare me a bit. But then I never tried non-vegan caviar either in my pregan days.
ReplyDeleteI love chowders! It's true soy milk can be tricky in savoury dishes. You have to use unsweetened and not original flavour milk... it can make your mashed potatoes "funky".
ReplyDelete